Poetry -- 20th century -- Periodicals; Short stories -- Periodicals
There were three things in the culinary line that the sum of Jane’s
accomplishments included--nut salad, rarebit and tea. After her first
visit to the bungalow she had taken upon herself the task of brewing
the cup that cheers, an arrangement that suited Ormsby perfectly,
for she looked very pretty fussing with the tea things, and he
was not above taking what he called an “academic interest” in her
attractiveness.
“If one can only do a few things, naturally, all one’s vanity is
centered in them,” she was observing to him now, by way of explaining
her fondness for tea making. “I fancy I regard my talent as a mother
regards her only child. If she has a number of children, she’s
uncertain, of course, whether Ann’s blue eyes are the most beautiful
in the world or Jimmie’s brown ones, and she can’t decide whether to
thrust Susie upon the attention of visitors, that they may admire her
golden curls, or whether to give raven-locked Lucy the center of the
stage. With one child or one accomplishment it’s different; you simply
_have_ to concentrate your admiration on that. You won’t take two
lumps?”
Ormsby shook his head firmly, and Jane handed him his tea. “It’s just
tea with one lump; it’s nectar with two,” she observed, regretfully.
“Speaking of children,” she continued, as she poured herself out a cup,
“have you seen the new Larson baby?”
“I’m sorry to say I have not,” said Ormsby, gravely.
“It’s a dear,” observed Jane, enthusiastically. “I think it will be the
beauty of the Larson family.”
“If the Larson family occupy that cottage near the grove, and if all
the children who play about there are Larson children, I fancy the
baby wouldn’t require much in the way of looks to be the beauty of the
Larson family,” he commented, dryly.
“What a nasty remark!” exclaimed Jane, indignantly. “They all have
their good points when you come to study them. And you can’t imagine
how amusing they are. I’ve been helping them along a bit lately, and
between their extravagant gratitude and the Willoughbys’ indignation at
the size of the bills, I’ve been having no end of a good time.” Jane
leaned back and smiled. Ormsby frowned. A good time! That apparently
was the aim and end of her existence. Aloud he said:
“Are you never serious, Mrs. De Mille?”
“Not very often; what’s the use?” responded Jane, promptly.
“I should imagine that a woman who has had the”--he hesitated for an
instant--“the sad experience you have had would show the effect of
it.” Ormsby was really ashamed of this remark, but Jane’s flippancy
frequently goaded him on to say things he regretted. But she did not
look offended.
“Sad experience?” she repeated, puzzled. “Oh, you mean the Willoughbys?”
Her employer smiled in spite of himself. He quickly regained his air of
grave composure, however. “No, I don’t mean the Willoughbys; I mean the
death of your husband,” he said, rebukingly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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